


What comes next?

by niniaan



Series: DBH Oneshots [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Crime, Feelings Realization, M/M, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 10:30:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15265551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niniaan/pseuds/niniaan
Summary: Two Months passed by quick for Detective Gavin Reed and soon he was back to what he did best. Except things weren't as settled as he thought. When his partner, Nines, starts acting strange, making stupid decisions that the usually perfect android would never do, Gavin can't help but feel conflicted by it all.





	What comes next?

That was the first and last time Nines came to see Gavin while he was on bed rest. It annoyed Gavin at first, he’d thought they’d moved past the awkwardness from the alley but when his next attempt to return to work early was met with a scowl and a stern face, instead of some shit excuse from the others that Nines was busy, he guessed things must be fine. Nines was back to normal.

They were back to normal.

Except for one tiny thing.

Honestly, Gavin didn’t notice it at first. After his two months of rest were up and he was finally allowed to step back foot in the department things seemed good. He was met with a few pats on the back, a small card on his desk signed by the team, even Anderson offered a nod as he passed which Gavin ignored.

Then it was back to work as usual. Nines had done a good job working through the backlog of paperwork Gavin hated doing and, after giving them a few small jobs to see how Gavin’s leg had healed up, Fowler began giving them proper cases.

That was when Gavin started to notice something was off.

It was slow at first. Their first case went fine, easy, they had it in the bag. Gavin did most of the talking and when Nines did speak he was back to his usual deadpan tone or that trademark sarcasm of his. So yeah, things were good.

Then came case number two. It was a Saturday night and they had been tracking down their first proper lead in a series of break-ins. Nothing too major and so far no casualties, the guy cased his targets for a couple of weeks, waited for when he knew it would be empty before running off with whatever he could get his hands on.

So once again it should have been an easy job.

The suspect was one Mr Ryan Stewart. They were lucky enough that the last house he’d robbed had CTV and managed to catch a glimpse of his face as he rushed off when the family came home early. After that it was simple enough, Nines ran his face through the system which gave them a name, age and address for the guy.

It was when they arrived at his house that things started to go downhill.

The lights were on when they pulled up, Gavin stopping the car a few houses down the street not wanting to alert Stewart to their presence.

 “Follow my lead.” Gavin said slamming the car door behind him. Nines following shortly behind, shutting his own softly.

“As you wish Detective. Please, display your _proven_ people skills.”

“I want you to know I’m choosing to ignore that.” Gavin sneered as he rounded the car and hopped up onto the curb.

They made their way across the short distance to the house pausing at the top of the stairs that lead onto the porch. He held a hand up as a sign for Nines to keep quiet, not that he’d say much anyway, and listened. The TV could be heard in the background but no other noise came from inside the house

Gavin knocked on the door three times.

 No answer.

“Detroit Police. Open up.” He banged on the door with more force this time.

Out the corner of his eyes he could see curtains move from the house next door as nosey neighbours came to look at the spectacle outside. A detective and his state of the art pet android calling at their young neighbour’s house? Of course people would want a look.

Gavin raised his hand to knock once more when the door finally opened.

A dishevelled looking young man answered the door, his blonde hair sticking up in different directions, his clothes were askew as if he’d just rolled out of bed.

“Dude, do you know what time it is?” The guy, presumably Stewarts, mumbled rubbing a hand across his face.

“Sorry to disturb you but is Ryan Stewarts here?” Gavin asked, his attention split between the man in front of him and Nines by his side, keeping an eye out to see if the android picked up on anything.

“You’re speaking to him. What’s this about?” Stewarts suddenly straightened up, his hand trying to subtly move behind the door but his face gave no signs of nervousness.

Gavin cleared his throat “Mr Stewarts, I’m going to need you to come with us down to the station we have some questions for you.”

“Uh, yeah sure. Can I just get changed first? I’m kinda…” Stewarts trailed off, gesturing to his clothes.

Gavin was tempted to just drag the guy down to the station and get this over with but, with a sigh, he relented and gave a nod.

“Sure. You won’t mind us waiting inside, would you?” Gavin didn’t leave room for Stewarts to answer otherwise and the man opened his door further for the two to enter.

“Not at all.”

Gavin stepped past Stewarts into the room, not needing to check if Nines was following. They room they entered was brightly lit and the TV Gavin had heard earlier was still on, some sports channel that Gavin didn’t care for. A ratty couch sat in the centre of the room.

“I’ll just go get changed then. Make yourself at home.” Stewarts mumbled throwing an arm across the room before heading down the corridor, shutting the door behind him.

Nines and Gavin stood in silence, the TV being the only noise between them. Gavin stepped further into the room, resting against the back of the couch while Nines stayed place in the doorway, staring down the corridor that Stewart had left down.

“Hey.” Gavin called over and waited until he had Nines attention and grinned. “He’s not running this time.”

“I wouldn’t be so confident, Detective.” Nines replied turning his attention back down the hall. “There was a spike in Mr Stewarts’ heart rate when he first opened the door and once again when you asked him to come down to the station with us. I suggest we not become too relaxed.”

Gavin straightened up, crossed his arms over his chest.

“I know that! Just-”

A crash cut him off and Gavin had a moment to register the noise before Nines was running down the hall.

Shit! Of course Nines would be right.

Gavin pushed himself off the couch and ran after Nines, darting into the room with the open door just in time to see Nines grab Stewarts, who had one leg out the window, and throw him onto the floor next to the remains of a smashed lamp.

Stewarts quickly scrambled to his feet. Nines stood by the window and Gavin blocked his only other path out of the room. Stuck between a fairly fit cop and a high tech, much larger android.

It was an easy choice.

Gavin took a step back bringing his arms up, ready to block the swing Stewarts aimed at him as the man charged. But it never came.

Just as Stewarts was about to swing he was pulled back with a jolt. A white sleeved arm wrapped around his neck while another hand grabbed his arm and forced it behind his back. Stewarts was completely immobile.

“I suggest you re-think you’re options, Mr Stewarts.” Nines voice was low, his tone like ice as he spoke, his grip only tightening as Stewarts struggled in vain.

Realising his situation, Stewarts lost what fight he had and soon went slack in Nines arms.

“Smart choice.”

It all happened so fast that Gavin didn’t quite know what to think.

Stewarts cooperated and they got him back to the station pretty quick and after searching his house they soon had the final evidence they needed to get a confession out of the guy.

But something still nagged at the back of Gavin’s mind. Nines was undeniably strong and fast but from their time working together he hadn’t been one to act rashly. Gavin had the door covered, he could have taken the guy but Nines felt the need to jump in instead? Did he not trust Gavin? Sure he got hurt once but that didn’t mean anything, right?

A weight settled in the pit of Gavin’s stomach and he didn’t like it.

So he did what he always did when something made him uncomfortable. He pushed it away.

They’d caught the guy, got the confession. The case was solved. He should be happy about that.

Except it happened again, and again, and again.

Anytime Gavin was about to take on a suspect or rush headlong into a fight, Nines was always there one step ahead of him. Even to the point where the usually careful android was getting injured to put himself between Gavin and harm’s way.

Finally Gavin had enough.

They’d just finished up their latest case and were headed back to the station. They drove in silence, not even the radio was on and the only sound came from cars that passed them heading in the other direction.

Gavin was pissed.

He grit his teeth, forcing his eyes to keep trained out the front window and not drift to his partner next to him. His partner who was currently holding a hand to his arm trying to keep the blue blood from staining Gavin’s seats.

The leather of the steering wheel squeaked as Gavin gripped it tighter. He kept replaying the scene over and over in his head.

The man charging at him with a knife. Falling to the floor with a grunt. Staring up at where Nines now stood in the place he had been, the knife jutting awkwardly out of his arm. All it took was a twist and the blade sliced through wires leaving a gash in Nines arm. After that Nines had managed to disarm him but not before the man had gotten a few good swings at the androids face. Skin breaking to show the white plastic beneath only to bleed back into place.

“Detective the speed limit is-”

“Shut up!” Gavin shouted, spit flying as he did. He knew he was speeding but he was just so… he couldn’t even explain it. That feeling he’d been trying to ignore had only grown with each case, with each time Nines put himself in the line of fire for Gavin.

“I must insist you lower your speed.”

“God damn it I said shut up!”

Gavin swerved the car, abruptly pulling up on the side of the road. The car behind them screeched past honking its horn at the two. This time Nines kept quiet, his grey eyes searching Gavin’s face as if trying to figure out just what was going through his head.

Not that Gavin gave him much of a chance as he was soon unclipping his belt, throwing the car door open and slamming it shut with a bang. Gavin marched round to the front of the car and sat down on the bonnet, the car dipping slightly under his weight. His leg twitched as he bounced his foot on the floor unable to keep still and soon he was up and pacing.

This wasn’t how he wanted to do this. Shit he didn’t even _want_ to do this. All Gavin wanted was for things to go back the way they were before but now…whatever it was that gnawed away at his chest he couldn’t just ignore it anymore. The idea that Nines saw him as a nuisance, as a pest who only got in the way of a case made him feel shit, embarrassed even.

But then Nines had been fine when he’d come to visit him. Gavin had thought they’d come to some sort of…understanding, maybe? He didn’t know! They’d acknowledged Nines felt something and moved on but now this just didn’t add up.

The sound of the car door shutting snapped Gavin from his thoughts and he looked up to see Nines approaching him.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Gavin barked, not able to stop it before it was out.

Nines stopped a few feet away from where Gavin stood and watched the detective with a focused look in his eyes. He didn’t answer straight away but when he did his words were slow.

“I’m…not sure what you mean Detective.”

“Don’t give me that crap!” Gavin snapped at him. He stormed forward and jabbed a finger into Nines’ chest. “This! Look at this!”

Gavin grabbed Nines arm pulling it forward to point out the slash. Blue blood had left a trail that ran down Nines white jacket, the stain still spreading through the material, and now over Gavin’s hand.

“I simply miscalculated the suspects distance from-”

“Bullshit! You have a fucking super computer in that head of yours! You don’t make mistakes!” Gavin shouted cutting Nines of once again.

“I…” Nines began but trailed off soon after. The light from his LED, which had been its usual blue all through the night so far, turned yellow and Gavin was reminded of the night two months ago which started all of this.

“When you were recovering I told you how it caused me distress when you were shot.” Nines continued after finding his words.

Gavin gave a sharp nod in reply, not trusting his voice to stay steady.

“I have spent a lot of time thinking about that _feeling,_ and it is not one I want to experience again.”

Gavin blinked, his anger deflating. It was just like Nines to talk through his own feelings with such a calculated response. He dropped Nines arm letting it fall back to his side and brought a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“This ends now.”

“No.”

Gavin paused. He dropped is hand from his face and looked up at Nines with a brow raised.

“What was that?”

Nines stepped forward, moving into Gavin’s space, a hairs breadth between them. Unfairly long, dark eyelashes framed steely grey eyes which stared down at Gavin with a burning intensity.

“No.” He repeated, slower than before, a frown settling on his face.

Gavin sucked in a deep breath, his shoulders tensing, and rising as he did so. He flattened his hand against Nines chest, giving him a useless push.

“Can’t you just do this one thing?” he snarled, teeth flashing.

“I have identified the cause of my distress and am preventing it from happening again. There is nothing wrong with my decision.” Nines stated, not moving when Gavin tried pushing him again. The blue of his LED light up the space between them, illuminating Nines face in pleasing ways.

“Your distress?! You think I like seeing you beaten up?! You’re not indestructible Nines!”

Nines eyes widened in surprise. They were both quiet after Gavin’s outburst, the sound of Gavin panting being the only noise between them.

A moment passed.

Gavin’s heart dropped to his stomach when he realised what he’d said and he pulled is hand from Nines chest as if he’d been burnt, clutching it to his own.

“Wait no, that’s not what I meant!”

Nines didn’t speak, only watched Gavin with those wide eyes his LED still spinning yellow. Gavin really hated that yellow right now.

Gavin turned away, taking a few steps back to put some space between them. What _had_ he meant? He’d been pissed that Nines wasn’t taking him seriously, was doubting his skills as a cop but when Nines was taking more and more risks it made him feel…

Gavin shook his head a couple of times before turning back to Nines, avoiding his eyes.

“Get back in the car.”

Nines moved as if to take a step towards him before changing his mind and started to walk back around the car. Gavin heard the door open.

“Gavin, as uncomfortable as this may be I believe we need to talk.”

Gavin sighed.

“Yeah. I know.” He muttered before making his own way back around the car.

* * *

The ride back to the station was silent, and not a comfortable silence. It felt awkward and heavy with Gavin refusing to look anywhere but the roads even though he could feel Nines gaze burn into his face.

Thankfully it didn’t take long to get to the station. Chen had arrived back first with their suspect, the guy currently locked in holding, gave them a nod as they passed which Gavin returned with his own tense version.

Nines began to head to his own desk, which sat opposite Gavin’s own, before he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to look just in time to see Gavin let go and walk past their desks, stopping in the break room to grab the first aid kit before heading to the bathroom.

Luckily, the bathroom was empty when Gavin entered and he set the kit down on the sink, opening it up when Nines followed him in.

If anyone decided to come check on them or needed a piss they’d soon be able to read the room and make the smart decision to go elsewhere.

“Take your jacket off.” Gavin said gesturing to one of the other sinks that lined the wall as he started to unpack the kit setting what he’d need down next to it.

Nines followed Gavin’s finger to where he pointed before looking down at the cut on his arm, his circuitry sparking slightly, and then back at the detective.

“This is unnecessary Detective, I only need simple repairs.”

“I don’t fucking care. Jacket off.”

Nines imitated a sigh, knowing there was no arguing with Gavin over this, he wasn’t going to drop it, and shrugged his jacket off folding it neatly before placing it on the edge of a free sink. Gavin looked up from where he was sorting through bandages and antiseptic, guess he wouldn’t really need that for an android, and glanced over at Nines.

Gavin cleared his throat, heat creeping up his neck as he tried to look anywhere but at Nines.

“Lose the shirt too.”

Again Nines carefully removed his shirt, folded it neatly and added it to the pile. Now free from the confines of his clothes and in better lighting the cut looked deeper than it had in the car. Blue blood ran down his arm, drying in patches the further down it was while the blue surrounding the cut still looked wet.

“As I said Detective, this is unnecessary. There is not much to be done until I can go in for repairs.” Nines stated, a hint of what Gavin guessed was amusement in his tone.

“I know, but I can at least wrap it so you don’t catch on anything.” Gavin replied still trying and failing to avoid looking at his shirtless partner, god they really did make these androids ‘physically perfect’.

If Nines could tell Gavin’s…reaction to him, thankfully, he didn’t say and only offered out his arm.

“Do as you wish then.”

Gavin unrolled the bandage and lay it flat against Nines arm, careful to knock or catch he cut, and began to wrap it round and round. Blue seeped through immediately and slowly spread before stopping the more layers Gavin wrapped.

It was Nines that was the first to broach the topic they’d both been avoiding.

“What did you mean?” His voice seemed to echo in the room, bouncing off the work tiles.

“Hmm?”

“Earlier you commented on my injury, then said you didn’t mean it. What _did_ you mean, Detective?”

Fucking perfect android memory.

“Suppose I did, didn’t I.” He grunted, wrapping the bandage around Nines arm once more before cutting the end and moving to secure it tight. Nines waited patiently for Gavin to continue.

With nothing to distract his attention anymore, Gavin felt the tension in the room build. He crossed his arms over his chest and shifted from foot to foot.

“Look, don’t read into it. I just…” Gavin ran a hand through his unruly hair messing it up. “It’s like what you said a while back. I don’t... _like_ you taking stupid risks for me.”

“It causes you distress.” Nines realised, mimicking his own words from a couple of months ago.

Gavin gave a sharp laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, guess it does.”

A silence dragged between them, each second fuelling the heat Gavin could feel creeping up his neck and dusting his cheeks. His traitorous heart ran like a speed train and he _knew_ Nines could tell. While he had to suffer not knowing what the android was thinking.

“Say something then!” Gavin eventually spat out, the silence finally getting to him.

Nines didn’t speak right away. Instead he brought a hand up to softly touch at the bandage on his arm. For once Gavin didn’t need to rely on Nines LED to tell him what the other might be feeling, his eyes drawn to the new curious expression Nines wore.

Then he reached out.

Gavin’s breath caught in his throat as Nines moved closer, closing the gap between them. Surprisingly soft knuckles caressed Gavin’s cheek, slowly brushing down his jaw, his thumb catching Gavin’s lower lip, parting them for just a second.

Gavin’s mouth watered.

“I have come to a new conclusion Detective.” He paused, changing his mind. “Gavin.”

Gavin swallowed.

“Oh. And what’s that?”

Nines grey eyes searched Gavin’s face a moment longer before he smirked, actually _smirked_.

Fucking Hell.

“With this new information you’ve helpfully provided, I believe our…feelings are of a similar nature. As a new deviant I would like to experience these _emotions_ to the fullest. I hope you will agree in exploring these further.”

“It’d uhh,” Gavin coughed to cover the cracking in his voice, he was a grown ass man for Christ’s sake and here he was acting like a nervous teen. “It’d not be the first time humans and androids have messed around.”

“Detective if you are referring to what happens at the Eden club then I will let you know now I will not be treated as simply a sex-”

Gavin darted forward covering Nines mouth with both hands.

“No! Jesus Christ don’t finish that thought. That is _not_ what I meant.” Gavin’s face was well and truly burning now with the sudden flood of not unwelcome images of Nines in various positions, Gavin keenly aware of the others current lack of clothing.

This conversation needed to end now, there wasn’t much more he could take.

Nines quirked a brow in amusement while Gavin cursed his smug face, and what it did to him, in his head.

Nines took Gavin’s hands in his, pulling them away from his mouth.

“I jest, Detective.” His monotone voice not matching the smirk he still wore.

Damn android was full of surprises.

Nines let go of Gavin’s hand and moved to take his shirt off the pile.

“We should return before the others start to question our absence.”

Not for the first time since partnering up with Nines Gavin was lost for words. Biting his lip in frustration as he willed his face to cool, hating how much this android affected him, Gavin stormed past Nines and swung the bathroom door open narrowly missing Wilson.

“This isn’t over!” He called behind him before marching over to his desk, glaring at everyone in his way.

Nines was unfazed as he continued to fasten the buttons of his shirt, a picture of cool, calm, and collected.

“I should hope not.”

**Author's Note:**

> So I hadn't originally planned to write a follow up to my first Reed/900 fic but the comments on the first part were so nice! Seriously I'm still not over them all!! And I know a couple of people asked about a sequel or mentioned that they'd read one so I decided to give it a go ^^ Apparently my thing is having these two get so close to saying their feelings only to back out at the last minute/
> 
> I'm a little worried it's going to come off as too similar to the first part but I wanted to try and get across how Nines logic works.  
> Gavin got hurt -> That causes Nines distress -> Answer: Stop Gavin getting hurt!  
> Hopefully I managed to get that across. 
> 
> Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this! Comments, kudos, all of them are really appreciated and super helpful to see what I'm doing well! Thanks for reading!


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